ARTIST NEWS

Marin Alsop renews at Baltimore Symphony

06.05.09
Marin AlsopGramophone

Marin Alsop has renewed her contract as music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for a further five years, taking her tenure to August 2015.

Alsop's first two seasons - she took up the post in September 2007 - have been well received, both in the concert hall and on disc. Writing about the recent Naxos recording of Dvorák's Ninth Symphony, Gramophone's Ivan March found "her fine Baltimore orchestra responding with an account full of warmth, moments of high drama, and, above all, finely paced with a flowing, spontaneous feeling".

Commenting on the contract renewal, Alsop said: "My work so far with the Baltimore Symphony has been the thrill of a lifetime. Our progress over the past two seasons is the epitome of collaboration...I cannot imagine leading a more exciting and progressive orchestra."

Projects during these first two years have included juxtaposing a complete Beethoven symphony cycle with works by 11 living composers in her opening season, and six sold-out performances of Bernstein's Mass in Baltimore, New York and Washington DC.

Marin Alsop will talk about her new recording of Bernstein's Mass in the forthcoming August issue of Gramophone.